SeriesExquisite silks frozen in time.

As part of her series, CastAways, artist Nicole Dextras placed these orange silk fabrics out in the ice cold landscape. Once frozen, they resemble natural life forms, reminiscent of women wearing long, flowing gowns. The beauty of this ephemeral art form lies in its brevity and the mystery it leaves behind once it melts and disappears.

Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of a new art series at EcoSalon, The Heart of Art.

The post The Heart of Art: CastAways appeared first on EcoSalon.

SeriesA mound of dead batteries is reborn as a colorful sea creature.

A battery powers everything from appliances to watches to your car, and when it’s out of juice, well, that’s the end of it. Nowhere else to go but the landfill.

Artist Michel de Broin had another idea. He gathered hundreds of old batteries before they landed at the recycle facility and made his Dead Star, a colorful creation that seems to come alive, again.

Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of a new art series at EcoSalon, The Heart of Art.

The post The Heart of Art: Dead Star appeared first on EcoSalon.

SeriesThese glass bead vases have an important story to tell.

Story Vases are the brainchild of Front, a Swedish design firm made up of three enterprising women who approach their projects with the goal of exploring and exposing more about the process of design. In this case, Front partnered with the Siyazama Project, a collective of South African women who practice the traditional Zulu craft of beading.

“Bead craft is an important part of Zulu tradition, not only as a means of expression, but also of communication and telling stories. In the past, patterns and colors were woven into beadwork, symbolizing feelings and ideas to lovers and friends, in a way similar to written language.”

Five women from the Project told the details of their daily lives in post-apartheid South Africa to the women of Front. They discussed everything from families and work to issues of gender, AIDS and poverty.

Each of the five women then transformed parts of their story into text via glass beads threaded onto wire which was formed into a mold. Glass was blown into the wire molds creating the final pieces, each unique in shape and story. Learn more about the creative process and the collaboration at Editions in Craft.

“This long-term project aims to broaden the market for the women’s craft and to let their stories, which are seldom told, be heard by more people.”

Front will present Story Vases at Milan Design Week from April 12-17, at Rosanna Orlandi. Each vase will be available in limited edition via Editions in Craft. Prices available upon request.

Via Abigail Doan.

Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of Kim Derby’s art series at EcoSalon, The Heart of Art. We heart art, and there’s nothing nicer than a daily dose to offer a moment of contemplation.

The post The Heart of Art: Story Vases appeared first on EcoSalon.

seriesIntricate watercolor paintings – small in size, big in imagination.

These tiny, detailed paintings by artist Wendy Davenport Whatley, invite us into an extraordinary and fanciful version of nature. At first glance, the drawings come across as scientific and literal, but most of the lively, green and growing things in Whatley’s watercolors are figments of her own imagination.

She offers these gems to us on small pieces of paper; and when I say small, I mean measurements as minute as 2.5 x 3.5 inches. Her largest paintings are 9 x 12 inches.

So if you’re searching for small and natural, yet other-worldly, your search is over. Find all of Whatley’s work, as well as items available to purchase, at her website and Etsy shop.

Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of Kim Derby’s art series at EcoSalon, The Heart of Art. We heart art, and there’s nothing nicer than a daily dose to offer a moment of contemplation.

The post The Heart of Art: Things of This Nature appeared first on EcoSalon.

seriesA sculptural, formerly forever diamond crafted from salvaged wood.

Artist Ron van der Ende’s extraordinary depiction of the diamond given to Elizabeth Taylor by Richard Burton in 1969 is oddly apropos considering Taylor’s recent passing. Taylor was inarguably the epitome of “diamonds are a girl’s best friend.”

In 2009, van der Ende used reclaimed timber to build the bas-relief sculpture (image above), entitled Taylor-Burton after the real diamond. It appears three dimensional but actually lies almost flat on the wall. Van der Ende didn’t paint any of the found wood, but painstakingly placed each piece like a mosaic.

The actual 68 carat Taylor-Burton diamond probably inspired awe and envy in many women at that time while today, our evolving values and raised consciousness might just provoke in us a sense of disdain for such excess. For example, the Taylor-Burton diamond, mined in South Africa, is considered conflict rather than forever.

To wit, on the back of van der Ende’s sculpture he pasted an image of a South African diamond mine worker (image below).

A sobering contrast to the high profile jewelry boutique you find the mined rocks in.

Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of Kim Derby’s new art series at EcoSalon, The Heart of Art. We heart art, and there’s nothing nicer than a midday dose to offer a moment of contemplation.

The post The Heart of Art: Formerly Forever Diamond appeared first on EcoSalon.

seriesLuxurious silk and sharp acacia thorns as a human fingerprint.

Another EcoSalon favorite at Art Basel Miami Beach in December was Italian artist Giuseppe Penone. From afar (image above), his untitled piece on display at the show looks like a blown up image of a human fingerprint. Upon closer inspection (image below), we find thorns like weapons ready to wound, jutting out from the large canvas covered in beautiful silk fabric.

The juxtaposition of the dangerous acacia thorns with the luxurious, silky material is beautifully executed, tempting us like children eager to come closer and touch.

Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of Kim Derby’s new art series at EcoSalon, The Heart of Art. We heart art, and there’s nothing nicer than a midday dose to offer a moment of contemplation.

The post The Heart of Art: Fateful Fingerprint appeared first on EcoSalon.

seriesThe sea as “boundless liquid energy” caught frame by frame.

The ocean will support, calm and cleanse; it can also crush, destroy and drown. Keegan Gibbs attempts to capture this complexity in his grainy, moving photographs of the sea. A surfer and photographer, Gibbs has a deep reverence for the ocean and its “boundless liquid energy.”

His images convey a range of emotions from pensive to energetic, but his intimate relationship with the sea stems from the balance it brings to his life:

“I go to the sea to surf, to bond with friends or to be alone, to let out aggression or to find inner peace. The moving ocean is my solid ground. The moment one stands up on a board, propelled by a wave racing across the sea, one is only aware of the present – nothing else. I have never found any other way to achieve that absolutely pure and meditative mindstate.”

Gibbs’ collection of images for Open Space, and some of his other pieces reflecting oceanic visions, can be seen on his blog here.

Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of Kim Derby’s new art series at EcoSalon, The Heart of Art. We heart art, and there’s nothing nicer than a midday dose to offer a moment of contemplation.

The post The Heart of Art: Open Space appeared first on EcoSalon.

SeriesIt’s what happens when lush plants become wall decor.

EcoSalon was at the most recent Art Basel Miami Beach, and caught a glimpse of Doug Aitken’s Sex. A terrarium bursting with exotic flora representing a veritable Garden of Eden, this piece leaves plenty to the imagination. Just don’t tell that to Adam and Eve.

Editor’s note: This is the first installment of Kim Derby’s new art series at EcoSalon, The Heart of Art, offering a glimpse of artistic inspiration from artists around the globe. We heart art, and there’s nothing nicer than a midday dose to offer a moment of contemplation.

The post The Heart of Art: Garden of Eden appeared first on EcoSalon.